BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry's women's wing's "WISE" initiative will give half of the population access to a global platform

The BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BRICS CCI WE) Women Empowerment Wing has introduced a grand initiative on the international level. The name is WISE, Women in Innovation, Science and Entrepreneurship. It was released at the BRICS Women's Business Alliance annual plenary meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

It aims to promote gender equality in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and enterprise sectors in the BRICS countries. The initiative is based on three basic pillars of innovation and collaboration, financial access, and policy advocacy. The WISE platform will work towards empowering women in emerging technologies, especially in areas such as Artificial Intelligence. It focuses on developing a global mentorship network, promoting inclusive innovation, advocating for policy reform, and ensuring financial access for women.

The initiative is being developed in collaboration with leading organisations including Mulheres Inspiradoras, Skolkovo Women's Forum, SheAtWork, and Four Centres for Political Leadership and Governance (FCPLG). The BRICS CCI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the WBA Brazil Chapter to jointly promote sustainable economic development and gender equality.

WISE's global advisory board includes former BRICS Sherpa Ambassador Sanjay Bhattacharya, BRICS WBA Brazil Chair Monica Monteiro, BRICS WBA Chair Lebogang Zulu of South Africa, BRICS CCI Director General BBL Madhukar, BRICS CCI WE Chair Ruby Sinha, ThinkStartup Co-founder Sanjeev Shivesh, and tech policy expert Monica Maghami.

BRICS CCI WE Chair Ruby Sinha said that it aims to identify systemic and regulatory challenges and advocate for enabling policies and reforms to promote the full participation of women in innovation and enterprise in BRICS+ countries.